Not As It Seems
by Tears of Amethyst
Summary: Have you ever seen the face of hatred?" "She was hatred, given form and breath...and he- He was..." The story of the alliance of Sesshoumaru and Kikyou- two very different characters that share a common goal.
1. Deadly Alliances

Not as it seems 

**Prologue: Deadly Alliances**

_Have you ever seen the face of hatred?_

_The face of hate is cold and lifeless._

_The hate cannot let go and is forced to remain- trapped- forever stuck in that moment of its hating. It lives but it can never truly live. It can only hate. The hate can find no rest not even in death._

_The face of hatred is one of sorrow- forever hating, never able to move on. The hatred can never forgive. It is instead damned to an eternity of hating. Revenge cannot even satisfy the hatred. The hatred must instead hate- it is unable to be resolved._

_Have you ever seen the face of hatred?_

_I have seen the face of hatred._

_The face of hatred is pained and angry. Its eyes bear scars from a lifetime of injury. It has wounds that will never be allowed to heal because it can never let go of its hate. And yet it is…_

_Beautiful._

_***_

"I am honored by your respect of my request. Your presence is greatly appreciated."

"…"

"I must admit- I was doubting whether you would come. But I see that you truly are a man of his word…however few they may be."

"I assume you requested me here for a _purpose_ and not just to irritate me."

An unreadable expression appeared within the russet eyes. "I should have known better than to expect one such as yourself to lower himself to such petty things such as humour and small talk. So yes, I have asked you here for a purpose. A cause that would be deemed worthy even in your eyes." A pause. "We- you and I- can help each other."

"Are you trying to imply that someone such as I would ever require assistance from the likes of _you_?" A glare. "Or was that another attempt to aggravate me?" 

"I expected no less from you. I knew you would not be willing to agree. At least…not without a valid reason, of course." That expression again. "But what if I told you that I can help you? That I can help you get that which you have vainly sought after for all this time?"

"_Vainly_?"

"My humblest apologies. I did not mean to offend." A smirk. "The treasure you covet after even now as we stand here speaking. If I could help you obtain that. What would you say then?"

"I have no need for any alliances. If that is all you have come here to say, then I have wasted valuable time on nonsense. I am leaving."

"Foolish man. You covet after a prize that you cannot even hold with your own hand. So stubborn. You are so much like _him_, you know?" An airy laugh escaped, finding its way through the darkness that surrounded them into the night sky.

"Do not _ever _make the mistake of comparing me to _him._ Repeating it would not be wise."

"But how can I not? When the two of you are so very much alike?"

"…I am leaving."

"You want it but not bad enough to risk death for it. Because you know that's what it means to face him again. Death is always a possibility." The words lowered to a whisper. A soft whisper that was like a kiss to his ears. A kiss reeking of the bittersweet taste of death. And yet also held…promise. "Because he will never hesitate to kill you. But me…" The smirk again. "He cannot kill me."

A pause. Considering the idea. "And what do you hope to gain by assisting me?"

That infuriating smirk again. "Me? I have my own treasure that I am coveting after. A prize that with your help, is easily within my grasp."

"…"

"I take your lack of response as a consent? We will discuss this again. The same time tomorrow?"

"Do _not_ make me wait."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

_***_

_And they were so alike in so many ways. _

_She was hatred, given form and breath, but not life. She was hatred without a soul- walking throughout a world in which she no longer held a place with no purpose other than to hate. And he-_

_He had enough hatred within his soul to fill all the oceans of the world._

_***_

"You are late."

"My humblest apologies." The sarcasm in her voice and amusement in her brown eyes did not go unnoticed by him. "It will not happen again." Her insolence was grating on his already thin patience. It was, to date, the third time she had kept him waiting. He constantly found himself questioning his judgement in agreeing to their alliance, albeit temporary. He studied his companion. Her physical appearance, the fair skin, slender lithe body, brown eyes and long dark hair with blunt bangs, was, he could admit, impressive. On human standards she was, one could say, beautiful. 

But she was not to be trusted.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you prepared to carry out your end of this bargain?"

"But of course. However, I require from you a little more time."

"As far as I'm concerned you have wasted far too much of my time already. I tire of you _quickly._" The threat lay there, dormant in his low cold voice. Dormant, but still there.

But apparently not enough to strike fear into her. That damn smirk again. She was _amused_. The arrogant wench. "You are right of course. But I still need a little longer of your _precious _time."

He turned, having finished his business with her. He could, after all, only stand being with her in short periods of time without being overwhelmed by the urge to kill her.

She smirked at his retreating figure. He did not trust her and she had never expected him to. After all, she had no intention of placing any faith in _him. _He was merely pawn- a tiny piece in an infinitely bigger picture.

_***_

_And underneath all the hate, there lies something else._

_Sorrow. _

***

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Not me.

R&R- Amethyst


	2. Rain

Chapter I: Rain 

_Do you know the feeling?_

_The one that comes right before the rain?_

_And you know, even without opening your eyes, that it's raining?_

_The kind of feeling that comes from within and lets you know that…_

_Something isn't right…_

***

"HENTAI!"

"Ah! Sango! I-"

***TWHAP***

"Kagome!! Just cause you didn't bring any ramen Inuyasha called you a bi-"

"**SHIPPOU!!**"

"Ahh!! I'm gonna diiieeee!! Kagome! Kagome! Save meeee!!"__

Kagome smiled from her position against the wall inside the small hut. Yes, everything was- _normal._

_Well,_ she reconsidered, as the little kitsune came running towards her for dear life itself with the hanyou dangerously close behind while Sango inched away from Miroku, who was rubbing his bright red cheek as Kirara sat contentedly in the corner curled up in a ball, calmly ignoring the madness- _as normal as it gets around here anyway._

"Oswari." The word bore no anger- simply the voice of calm justice. And Shippou dived down into Kagome's warm waiting lap to gloat over his victory. He stuck out his tongue at his defeated foe, Inuyasha, who lay subdued on the floor. Justice had been served the way it was served best. Face first. Satisfied, the kitsune snuggled against the teenage girl, contented with the feel of her warm arms and soft lap surrounding him with her sweet gentle scent.

Kagome looked down at the tiny creature in her lap. Already he was fast asleep. She smiled at him, smoothing back the reddish brown hair. He was so sweet when sleeping it was easy to forget the mischief he always seemed to be getting into. She sat there for a moment- she wasn't sure how long- stroking his hair when she realized the room had fallen silent. She looked around at her companions. Inuyasha, the spell having worn off, was sulking in a corner with his arms crossed, which Kagome guessed would be his position for the rest of the night. Sango was sound asleep on a futon with Kirara- safely away from Miroku, while the monk sat up simply watching her sleep.

Kagome yawned and rolled out her own sleeping bag, being careful not to wake Shippou. She crawled inside, her eyelids growing heavy and Shippou curled up closer to her in his sleep. 

Yes, everything was fine tonight.

So why couldn't she get rid of that sick feeling that something was horribly wrong?

***

_They were both creatures of darkness._

_Hatred had drawn them together and darkness had become their meeting place._

_But that which is done in darkness…_

_Always comes to light._

_***_

He was not happy.

Although emotion was not visible on his eerily calm face, behind the façade he was deeply irritated. Waiting like this was enough to kill somebody.

Namely the person who kept him waiting.

He scowled inwardly. _Her._ That woman who had enough audacity to make _him_ wait on _her_ as though he was her servant, a worthless dog who lived only to do her bidding.

He hated her.

Yes, hate was a nice word. One that only began to describe the _loath_ he had towards her. He almost smiled. There were few people in the world that he actually bothered to hate. And she was one of them.

Damn her.

Yes, damn her to hell.

After all, that's where she belonged. 

His thoughts were interrupted by _that_ scent. Instinctively, his nose wrinkled in distaste as the smell of death and earth invaded his senses. And hate. He could actually smell the emotion that was her only basis for living.

She sauntered out of the darkness. There was no haste in her manner, nothing that implied even a _hint_ of remorse for daring yet again to keep _him_ waiting. Her feet fell lightly against the ground, scarlet and ivory cloth sashaying with each step. Her servants- the youkai that stole the souls of the dead in order to keep her in this world- were weaving in the air around each other, dancing around her. Graceful and beautiful creatures yet made so hideous by what they did. She stopped, turning cold lifeless eyes on him.

He said nothing.

For moments there was only the sound of the shinidama-chuu slithering through the air.

Then finally he spoke.

"_Wench._"

Annoyance visibly crossed her delicate features. His arrogance was becoming a pain. One she was becoming tempted, _so_ tempted, to deal with.

"You have had enough time now." His words fell flat, turning question into statement. An order. 

It was almost amusing- the idea. Him trying to order _her_ around. Didn't he realize yet? That she took commands from none? It was her way of spiting him- this business of appearing late and asking for more time. A test of his patience. She had thought that he would have at least tried to kill her by now and grow tired of the game. She knew she was pushing him- treading on nothing but air when it came to her dealings with him.

But she wasn't afraid of him.

And he knew it.

And despite all of that he still continued to wait.

_You are a strange creature, Sesshoumaru._

"Yes. I have had enough time to finish with my previous dealings." She was done observing him. Yes, this would all play out nicely.

"Then we will meet with her tomorrow." Another command. 

"It is as Sesshoumaru wishes." The mock formality was an open, careless insult. She turned to leave- these brief meetings lasted far too long for her liking. The serpents followed, still slithering around her.

"What do you hope to gain from this?"

She could have laughed. Was he actually pretending to be interested in her concerns? She turned to face him. She tilted her head to the side, long dark strands falling as she did. "What is it that you think I want?"

He stared her down, golden eyes studying her intently. "You seem so sure that I will assist you in killing him." His lips curled upward in the faintest of sneers. "After all…he _is_ my blood_._"

"And I'm surethat the mighty lord would not want such a sin hanging over his head." She turned away, half of her face only visible to him, the other half shrouded in darkness. "But by now one would think that spilling your own brother's blood would be considered the least of your crimes."

"You take much for granted, miko. But," he turned his back on her, "it is none of my concern. As long as I get what I want there is little else that matters." And he left, a cloud of shimmering silver disappearing into the dark.

_Sesshoumaru. You are the one that takes so much for granted._ _Especially when-_

"…you know so little," she whispered into the night.

After tomorrow, she would have no more real use of him.

No. By then she would have everything that she needed.

***

_Do you know the feeling?_

_The one that comes before the rain?_

***

And elsewhere, Kagome moaned and tossed in her sleep.

***

**hentai: **pervert

**hanyou: **half-demon

**kitsune: **fox

**oswari: **sit

**youkai:** demon

**shinidama-chuu: **Kikyo's soul-gathering youkai

**miko: **priestess

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha and all of its characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Not me.

^_~ But you knew all of that already.

**To my reviewers:** *blows kissez to them all* Thank you all so much!! Hopefully this story won't be too predictable and good enough to stay interesting. ^_~

**lynxlady: **You are right- she was smiling too much. In this chapter hopefully they're both more in character. ^_^ Thank you for all of your reviews- it really means a lot!

This chapter was pretty non-eventful -_-;; Don't particularly like this one- will try to get the next one out soon. ^_^****

R&R - Amethyst


	3. Sympathy

**Chapter II: Sympathy**

_Have you ever had a nightmare?_

_The kind that makes you cry out in your sleep. It eats at you and robs you of rest and leaves you broken, shattered. _

_You can't forget, you can't have peace. It stays there, inside your mind, haunting you so badly that you're_

_Afraid._

_And it feels as if…_

_Somewhere…_

_It was really happening…_

_***_

She was having another bad dream.

He could tell. It was the second night she had been like this- unable to sleep. She was sweating-perspiration sticking dark bangs to her pale forehead. A twisted expression was on her face and lines of worry creased her brow. She turned again. A soft whimper left her lips.

Salt.

She was crying. 

"_Inu…yasha…_" 

"Shhh… It's okay," he whispered softly, lifting a clawed hand to stroke the damp ebony hair. "I'm right here."

***

_He was powerful._

_Life and death had been given to him- they both flowed from his hands._

_But even he with all his power could not grant what she wanted._

_And she was so tired._

_So tired of wanting what she could never have._

_But now, maybe now, she would come close. Not to what she wanted. No, that would never be._

_But right now, she could have _something.

_***_

They reached the cave.

The journey there was one made in silence.

From deep within the cave a light was visible. Fire. And near the flame, watching the red and orange glow as it devoured all that came near, was the one they sought.

Firelight danced over her face and shadows hid in its deep wrinkles. A gnarled toothless smile deepened the many creases. "So," she whispered. "They have come."

And the two presences entered the cave, both wearing identical expressions on their faces.

"Well, to what do I owe such a great honour?" She tilted her head downwards, strands tangled gray hair falling with the motion.

His golden eyes glowed- they sparked with the orange and yellow light and also a hint of annoyance. "You know why we have come."

"Yes, forgive me." The dark eyes danced. "You wished a demonstration."

He said nothing, again growing endlessly tired of the idiocy he had to deal with ever since he had agreed to help the undead wench.

_With this body I am powerful. But imagine, what I could do with a _living_ body. And of what use I could be to you._

Her words rang in his memory unwanted. Yes, he'd go along with this just out of curiosity for now.

The old hag seemed to understand his silence and got up and hobbled over towards the corner. She came back towards them, dragging something with her. He glanced at the miko. She was staring intently at the old woman, watching what was taking place.

And then it happened.

A strangled cry came from the haggard old woman. She clutched at her chest. Sesshoumaru watched with interest as she writhed with pain. Life breathed into a slender lithe young body as a heavier one, bent with age, fell to the ground.

And then a strange, foreign expression crossed his companion's face.

She smiled.

***

"Dammit."

She scowled. She was sick and tired of this. Of always having to run these errands while _he_ just sat back and watched, laughing. Her mouth, painted a deep scarlet, twisted again into a frown. To watch the arrogant son-of-a-bitch do his own dirty work- _that_ was what she would give anything for. The idea of turning the tables on Naraku, watching him flee at her every whim, was definitely amusing. Her lips curved upwards slightly, forming a fragile smile at the thought.

But within an instant, the thought vanished and the smile was replaced by a scowl. That day would not come soon- not while he still held so much power over her. It was sickening.

"Kagura…" 

Kagura snapped her attention back to the task at hand. Her thoughts were not even her own. His uninvited voice drifted into her mind, reminding her of what she was out here for. She squinted and swore again softly. She couldn't see anything from here. But any closer and Sesshoumaru would pick up her scent.

Sesshoumaru.

It didn't make any sense. What would Sesshoumaru have to do with the un-dead miko? He was not a man to help anyone nor to accept it from anyone else. Her hands tightened into fists, causing her nails to dig deep into her own flesh. What could they be doing all they way out here? She eased the feather forward lightly. She could make out the forms of the miko and inu-youkai but little else.

She smirked. Whatever they were doing, it was enough to put Naraku on edge. And that was enough to make her satisfied.

***

"It is done."

She held up her arms in admiration of what she had just done. It was impressive and she knew it.

"So," said the new youthful voice, "Is it pleasing?"

Sesshoumaru glanced at Kikyou out of the corner of his eye. The smile, if it had indeed been a smile, was gone now. Her pale countenance was blank and devoid of expression.

As much as he expected.

He narrowed his amber eyes at the sorceress. The demonstration had been flawless- too perfect for his liking. "What's the trick?"

Her eyes widened. "Surely you do not think that I would try to deceive you, my lord?" She turned to the priestess. "My lady, you must perceive that what I say is true?" Behind her, the torches sizzled, crackling with a fierce intensity.

Kikyou said nothing.

The craft user's lips tilted upwards in a smirk. "There is no trick…just a few…details…" She licked her lips slyly. "Those of which I couldn't discuss with non-paying customers…"

"Name your price."

***

They left the cave.

They were walking, in the same silence that they had come, side by side but not together. It was an atmosphere they were both accustomed to- they shared a proclivity for the stillness that comes from perfect quiet.

She was walking as if she weighed nothing, her movement graceful and effortless. Her serpents came to her side and winded themselves around her, just barely caressing her sides. She stopped walked and reached up long slender fingers to them. They danced under her fingertips, coming alive with her touch.

It was their means of communication, a silent language he couldn't understand and he had no desire to.

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru unsheathed Tenseiga. He pointed the blade at the undead woman, its edge at her throat. And yet- 

She showed no fear.

Just as swiftly the weapon had been pulled, it disappeared. It had taken only an instant, but now he understood.

Gold eyes focused on her, studying her every movement.

_This sword, Tenseiga, can release souls from the clutches of the underworld._

_But you- _

_Your soul is already free._

Her face was bathed in moonlight, casting an unearthly glow around her. The beautiful features softened, turning into an expression that could only be described as sorrowful. As she stood there with that look on her face, he could feel…something. Something inside of him, an emotion he hadn't known was there.

She turned away and the feeling was gone. He watched her as she glided away, the shinidama-chuu slithering around her body. Dark hair swayed with every step, glimmering as silver light weaved its way into dark ebony.

She had already known.

Wordlessly, he followed her into the night.

***

_The nightmare is happening…it's happening right now._

_But I'm powerless to stop it._

***

Inside the small room, Inuyasha and Kagome slept, their arms wrapped tightly around each other.

Outside, the nightmare lived on.

***

**AN: **Heh, well…hi… ^o^;;

It's been a while. A really long while… *sweatdrops*

We're actually sort of moving along in the story (the chapters *will* get longer…eventually… o_O). Been so long, I hope there aren't any random OOC bits running around in this chapter.

Anyways, R&R- as always, praise, constructive criticisms, hell- even flames, are all accepted.

-Amethyst


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